verb
vaseline
VA-suh-leen
verb
1
To smear or coat something with Vaseline (petroleum jelly), often to lubricate or waterproof it.
"He vaselined the hinges so they would stop squeaking."
"Swimmers sometimes vaseline their skin before a long open-water race."
How to Use Vaseline
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTo use Vaseline brand petroleum jelly on something, as a verb.
Common mistake
Vaseline is a trademark, so it is capitalized as a noun; using it as a lowercase verb (as here) is informal.
Word Forms
vaselined past tense, vaselines singular
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Etymology
A trademark name combining German Wasser ("water") and Greek elaion ("oil"), registered by chemist Robert Chesebrough in 1872. It has since become genericized, the way "hoover" or "thermos" did.